New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-31
A PLEA FOR WOODEN SHIPS.
THEIR GREATER DURABILITY PROVEN.
INTERESTING FIGURES From THE REGISTER some
CONCLUSIONS.


SIR: supposition and imagination poor witnesses.
weak advocates and bad judges But your uniformed
ana sefopnonaed oracle always seeks his evidence in
the airy region of creative thought He disdains to
stoop to cropping the dull earth for facts prove single
point so long the public faith imposed upon.
Considering what John Goldman has recently written
in dctraction OF wooden ships apparently because the
best are American built, and what he has printed IN
fsttery of iron ships because the worst OF these
British built Ii would duty TO set forth few
facts regarding the comparative durability. or class
survival of the two kinds of vessels This is Captain
COd,nan's statement:
Tho life OF a wooden ship IS twelve years.
by which time she would need replacing; the life of
good iron ship is indefinite If accident happens to
her she may live for fifty years"
In the infancy OF iron shpbuding when il cost
third more to build IRON than wooden ships in England.
the advocates of the industry ont that vessels
built OF iron would last twice long those built or
wood as this superstition apparently justified prefer
for the material Since that time there have
been nearly fifty years of experience with IRON bdilt
vessels Whether in that period the iron ship has proved
herself superior to her wooden rival fallen short
being improvement. is question not to be settled
now by superstition and imagination but by compar
isOn of facts and figures
The British have substituted" iron for wood as
building material this is only antamoun to saying
that they have changed from foreign to domestic
materials since the United Kingdom cannot longer pro
duce TIMBER and is able furnish abundance of iron
Policy, not economy has caused the revolution in
favor of iron. The comparative merits of wood and iron
ships not Of consequence to the British nation be
OF necessity must stick to iron and steel But to
the United tho truth Of the matter is OF great I'M
porance and will continue to be significant 40 long as
timber for shipbuildng continues in supply at
cost than metal IL Is not TO the interest of
country reject wood and prefer ir except
material may be really better than the other We have
forests, az we'll Mines from which may build our
ships and more especially our sailing fleets SO we have
to follow the forced example of England In
general substitution OF iron for wooden ships There Is
only false aud artfu motive blind belief In British
precedence at the bottom of the detraction OF wooden
ships and especially OF those OF American build By
decrying wood and prlisiug iron ships IL is sought to
ruin American and extend British shipbuilding-in the
Of the original II not the only enemy of tho
United States. That is what appears foremost in the
ship scheme of British shipbuilders-no Of Cap
ain Goldman and his much mistaken friends. for they
have been deceived
TEST OF IRON AND WOODEN SHIPS.
We will now examine the record, and present such
facts he found there touching the question at
issue. For this purpose we shall take tho French
Loyds Bureau Veras Register, and ascertain the
average period survival class of European iron
sailing ships and steamers and American wooden ships
The American but few and Of too recent
build for fair comparison. A vessel once entered in
the Vers Register retains her character only on con
don of fitness for hard service at When ship or
fails to bear inspection, Is worn ont, the
character expungcd, bnt the remains long
she survives. 1t therefore practicable to ascertain
the average age at which every kind OF vessel remains iii
for safe and profitable use. While many comparisons
may be made from the Register II will be sufficient TO
note the principal one of duration The Register for
any year may be examined We have taken that for
the year 1881 In this book above 100 tons there
923 wooden vessels alins under the American Nag, ana
there arc IGj ou vessels sailing under the tags Of all
nations. but mainly OF Continental Europe. There are
also 1000 steamers. Az built in Britain and 52S in
continental countries many of the former flying the
British flag. The survival OF those with characcrs c1-
plunged IS found to he follows:
Average wood sail ship 1873 years
Average European iron sail ship - - years
Average European iron steamship --.....-Io-I years
There is nothing OF suppostion or Imagination about
these figures. but cold calculation only. further com
parson will throw more light upon the inquiry The
proportion of tonnage with class eXpungcd in the differ
emf fleets is follows:
OraH agrs.
American wood - per per c Scns
IuioTetn non per cent
Of c,ghken yearS or lees " age.
American, wood, per- cent
TunopeHn. ron per
The inferority Of iron steamers to sailing vessels Of
both wool and iron is worthy Of special notice This
fact corresponds Wen to the certainty that
inferior in safety, notwithstanding the British Loyds
insure their hulls ana cargoes for lower rates than sail
ing vessels pay This practice sprang from policy not
merit.
ENGLAND THE COUNTRY OF IRON SHIPS.
II IA the boast OF Britain she IS the iron cosn
try" and therefore, the building Of iron dips and
steamers is an naturally all her Hence II is ht
that British s and character shonll be largely repre-
scented in any fleet brought forward !or the cham
ponsp Of Europe the honor Of snrvivorhip AT
We will therefore, ascertain and set OF the British iron
sail and steam in separate fleets We find If per cent %
the IRON sailing aud nearly ~ per cent OF the steam
feet were British built AZ we find the Continental punt
sail ship superior the British. We shall diVi ie the
American feet into squadrons OF highest and lowest
survival in proportion the European iron sail may he
said divide itself, and tie following comparison re-
suits:
Duration. cl4Ss SnrrirGi Years
American irl. wood. (5G per cent? IS y
Continental bnilt iron. ssll--.... 90 per cch) -.
ia s~l---...---. 90 per 'enll ~
" Id
CoonnnsDt.Lbniit IRON sieanoI, (53 per cent? 900
"A matter OF course, the ship Of cxpunced
character is OF greater than the average vessel on
class Thus IT is that the mean ages OF the different
kinds O vessel holding class staud as follows:
1fges oC arcr0ge cesset on class Years
Turorean iron SAL sli ~
oOi sail ship z 20
IUropean non sieAt1sh ,22
British Dut IRON steamship Iyo
Continental built iron 100
II will be observed that British steamers on class are
much older than Continental built almost double the
ace This signifies that the Continental nations are
nuitting the purchase Of British vessels ana Increasing
The patronage Of their slpyards This applies to
sail as well as steam And this from another
MONT of view The proportion of British built steamers,
on class Is % per cent, but Of Continental nit II s
only q fair proportion considering the